Plagiarism - it's not just students!

It's no wonder that students struggle with plagiarism, with the example that's set for them. Here's a round up of all the plagiarism news and gossip for the past couple of weeks across the globe.

COLDPLAY – Coldplay's new single "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall' is receiving different kinds of reception; including a plagiarism allegation for ripping off the 90′s European dance single Ritmo de la Noche (International Business Times News June 8 2011)

REP BRYON SHORT – Over in the States, Delaware State Sen. Michael Katz is asking the House Ethics Committee to investigate a claim that a member of the House of Representatives plagiarised a piece of his legislation. He suspects that Rep. Bryon Short copied Katz's Senate Bill 90 and introduced it as House Bill 144 on May 26 (The Associated Press State & Local Wire, June 8, 2011)

PROF U C BANERJEE – In India, the Ministry of Science and Technology has denied a fellowship to Prof U C Banerjee, one of the senior-most faculty members of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, due to charges of plagiarism levelled against him (Indian Express, June 7, 2011)

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON – Academics at the University of London (UL) claim that syllabuses on the wesite of the New College of the Humanities have been lifted from those at their own institutions. Professor Paul Layzell, principal of Royal Holloway College, said the site gave "detailed descriptions" of UL courses de-signed for those who could not travel to its campus (The Times, June 7, 2011)

HERALD SUN – Over in Aus, Age editor-in-chief Paul Ramadge wrote to Herald and Weekly Times edi-tor-in-chief Phil Gardner to "complain about journalistic standards at the Herald Sun", saying that Mel-bourne's top-selling paper dropped a story about the bugging of former Victorian Police deputy commissioner Ken Jones into its second edition only after their staff became aware of an exclusive report by Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie in The Age about a telephone bugging operation" (The Australian, June 6 2011).

SHARIF SHAKRANI – This is the story of the Michigan State University professor who did not have his con-tract renewed after he was disciplined last month for repeated plagiarism, including copying seven para-graphs in a 2010 school consolidation study that appeared in The Flint Journal (Flint Journal, May 27 2011).

KATHRYN FEE – Reported in "Curbed Hamptons', the NY Post states that Kathryn Fee designed a "gracious, shingled estate" on Noyack Path in Water Mill, but that the homeowner, Diana Cochran, didn't pay the bill and so she left. But then Cochran turned around and gave a copy of the plans to a new architect, Bruce Siska, who "passed off the almost mirror-image designs as his own." Obviously, everyone's suing everyone now (Curbed Hamptons, May 25 2011).

TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY – In a rousing address in College Green, Enda Kenny sparked cheers from the crowd but bore striking similarities to Mr Obama's 2008 victory speech. The Government has denied the Taoiseach plagiarised elements of Barack Obama's famous victory speech as he introduced the US presi-dent to Dublin (The Metro, May 25 2011).

DR GORDON SHEPARD – The hospital consultant is facing allegations that he cheated in a bid to gain a new qualification. Dr Gordon Shepard, who works at the Royal Bolton Hospital and BMI Beaumont Hospital, Bolton, is accused of plagiarism (The Bolton News, May 24 2011).

SCOTT MCINNIS – It was announced that the former Republican gubernatorial will not face disciplinary action from the state's Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel after an investigation of a plagiarism complaint found insufficient evidence to establish ethics violations. McInnis lost the Republican primary in the 2010 governor's race after The Denver Post revealed the former congressman in 2005 and 2006 had presented several articles on water policy as his own work, though they were nearly identical to essays written by now-Supreme Court Justice Gregory J. Hobbs (The Denver Post, May 24 2011).

THE HARTFORD COURANT – The newspaper is asking a federal judge to dismiss a $7.5 million plagiarism law-suit filed by a competing newspaper, saying no copyright laws were broken. Lawyers for the Courant filed a motion to dismiss the Journal Inquirer's lawsuit on May 4, nearly two years after Courant CEO and Publisher Richard Graziano acknowledged publicly that the newspaper had unintentionally plagiarised competitors (The Associated Press, May 23 2011).